FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to novel large hydrogel particles suspended in an aqueous medium and to a continuous extrusion/mixing process for making this kind of hydrogel particles. The hydrogel particles comprise two different high molecular weight polymers. One is insoluble in the said aqueous medium and is used for network formation and gel integrity. The other is soluble in the said aqueous medium and helps control gel swellability and gel strength. Water insoluble materials are entrapped or encapsulated inside the network formed by these two polymers and are able to be more efficiently delivered from the aqueous composition (e.g., liquid cleanser containing the hydrogel particles). Gel particles with controllable size and controllable gel strength are prepared simply by first adding (e.g. injecting) an aqueous solution containing the said two polymers and the water insoluble material into the said aqueous medium to form elongated soft polymer gel noodles; and the noodles are then cut/broken (e.g., through mixing or mechanical agitation) into desirable gel particle size.